Daniel Ricciardo Apologizes to Nico Hulkenberg for Italian GP Clash Amid Penalty-Laden Race

Daniel Ricciardo comments on collision with Nico Hulkenberg: “I believed there was enough room; I said sorry”

Daniel Ricciardo addresses the accident with Haas during the Formula 1 Italian Grand Prix

Daniel Ricciardo mentioned that he apologized to Nico Hulkenberg after the Formula 1 Italian Grand Prix due to a collision that occurred between them on the first lap.

Red Bull driver Ricciardo found himself in a tussle with Hulkenberg amid the middle of the pack during the initial lap of the Monza race on Sunday, leading to a collision between the two at Turn 8.

Ricciardo mentioned that he believed there was enough room, but then he experienced a collision – which caused Hulkenberg's Haas to be pushed onto the dirt, allowing Kevin Magnussen, Hulkenberg's teammate, to overtake him.

The Australian driver received a five-second penalty for the incident, but later had to endure a 10-second penalty because one of his mechanics made contact with his car while he was serving the initial penalty during his pit stop.

Ricciardo finished a challenging race on home turf for the Red Bull team in 13th place.

"In the end, we just didn't have the speed today, even without factoring in the penalties," he commented.

"We gave it our best shot, and I was having a lot of fun with the close racing at the beginning, but I had a collision with Nico at Turn 8."

"After the race, I had a conversation with him. I initially believed there was enough space, but I felt the collision, so I realized I hadn't given him sufficient room. I apologized for that."

"It's challenging because you put in a lot of effort, but even the tiniest differences can have a big impact."

“The vehicle performed satisfactorily afterward, and we exerted maximum effort with the resources available to us. Since Friday afternoon, I have been striving to extract the utmost potential from the car.”

"From my perspective, I am feeling much improved this weekend, and we were nearly able to earn some points."

Tsunoda Experiences 'Frustration'

Team Laurent Mekies claims that RB's performance at the Italian Grand Prix was heavily influenced by Hulkenberg, after a crash involving the Haas driver and Yuki Tsunoda forced the Japanese driver to retire from the race.

"I'm quite annoyed; it's unfortunate that my race ended just a few laps after the start because of a collision with Nico," Tsunoda expressed.

"I attempted to give him as much room as I could, but it appeared he froze, which made him lose control and collide with me."

“Regrettably, we had to withdraw the car due to some damage sustained on the floor."

"As soon as I noticed it, I attempted to keep going, but the vehicle was slipping, making it impossible for me to control."

"We're heading to Baku and Singapore next, and our car is expected to do well at those tracks. We're optimistic about having successful weekends."

Mekies is frustrated with the Tsunoda incident because it caused him to lose important track time in the upgraded RB car that was brought to Monza.

"Regarding today's race, it can be said that Hulkenberg set the pace. Daniel received a five-second penalty for pushing him off the track. Following that incident, Nico collided with Yuki, which ultimately caused us to withdraw the car," he stated.

"The most exasperating part about Yuki's retirement is the missed opportunity of 40 laps that could have enhanced our comprehension of the new updates we implemented here."

"Daniel received an additional 10-second penalty because we failed to properly carry out the initial one."

"We must reassess our protocols in this situation and take lessons from the error made today. While such incidents do occur, our pit crew's performance has typically been outstanding this season."

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